Temporary rail-joint shim



' w me/Moc Georgen loztlfelei;

Nov. l1, 1930.

Patented Nov. 11, 1930 PATENT'OFFICEGEORGE1M.AGLODFELTEEOFQYONKERS,NEwYonmnssrGNon 'roTHE nani JOINTlOOMPANY, ornnw YORK, N. Y1,

ACORPORATION OF NEW YORK TEMPORARY RAIL-Joint; `sinn:

Y plantation :ned septemberi'i, 192e. serial Np. 393,179,

As lis well known, it` is vcommon practice in .thexart of` railway trackmaintenance, when rails have become worn, to recondition them bysupplying metal thereto to compen- 5 sate for theloss of metal`occasioned by wear. gWhilc more or less wear occursthroughout thelength of the head of a rail after extensive use, usually maximum wearoccurs nearthe endof the rail, due tothe `pound of wheels passing .overthe end .of-the railto or from the end Ofan adjacent rail. It is,therefore, at and near the end of a worn rail,fusually withinthedistance between the end of the rail and the adjacent endof the splicebar commonly employed for joining the rail with an adjacent rail, thatthe need for supplying wear compensating metal to the head of the railexists. VAccordingltogeneral practice, this supply of `wearicom ensatingmetalto '20 the` head of a rail is e ected by welding,

as `thereby-the rail may expeditiously and economically be reconditionedwithout-i removing same from the track; Supplying wear compensatingmetal `to a rail by weld` .25 ing,means ofcourse, that the rail mustbeheated, which manifestly results in weakening of `the rail, so that inpractice Iit has been found that, without support, when the rail 'end is`heated duringthe process of welding, the head of the rail` becomesmashed or flattened if trac passes over therail before same has becomesufficiently cool and hard following its reconditioning` to withstandtraffic. i This is `particularly true in connection with rail joints ofthe `so-called headfree. type because of the clearance existing betweenthe underside of the` headof'such a rail and the Aupper face ofthe jointbar employed therewith, the bar having loading en- 40 gag'ement solelywith the head fillet of the rail and leavingthe side portionsof the railhead unsupported.` Accordingly,the general purpose of the presentinvention listo provide simple, inexpensive, easily manipulated meansfor tem porarily and reliably supporting the head of i a rail,particularlyxa rail having joints- Of the AsO-called headfree' type,-against being mashed by trallic during and following the process ofsupplying `wear compensating j v"Referring to the metal theretobywelding, until the rail has sufficiently .cooled to withstand traffic.j

Preferably the presentrail head supporting 'means consists ofa'wedge-shaped shim adapted temporarily to be placed between theunderside of the rail head andthe upper side of the joint bar, s'o as toll the clearance space normally existingbetween the head of the bar andthe underside of the rail head, wherebythe bar is adapted to receivetraio loads imposed onand transmitted through the rail head, thus tosupport the side portion of the rail head againstdownward movement.` Thesaid clearancespace between :the head` of the bar and the underside ofthe head of the rail increases in width fromthe head iillettowardstheuside of the rail, 'and since the 4shim is formed of wedge shape tofit this` space, it follows that when load is imposed On the rail thetendency: is to squeeze the 4shim outwardly from an operative po-`sition between the head of the joint barand the underside of the railhead. `Accordinglya it isa further purpose of the invention to Vso formthe-shim that it may have interlocking engagement with the rail'andjoint'lbar `for holding itagainst displacement from an operativeposition under the influence of traffic loads imposed on the rail'.JW'ith the foregoing'and other purposes in view, the inventionconsistsin the novel features of construction, combination andarrangement of,parts asywill be hereinafter more fully described,illustratedintheaccompanying drawings and defined in `the appended claims. i

L i Inthe drawings,wherein like characters of reference denotecorresponding parts in the different views :lj 1 Figure` l` is atransverse sectional view through'a rail joint of the headfree typeillustrating `the present f rail head supporting means operativelypositioned between `the head Of lthe joint bar `and the underside of theheadof therail; and v Figure 2 is a side elevation ofthe structure shownin Eigure 1.` l y drawings in detaiLR, R, designatagenerally, themeeting` ends of a pair of rails and, J, J, a `pair ofjoint bars of diethe so-called headfree type connectingsaid rails together.

As aforesaid, and as is well understood by those familiarwith the railjoint art, a headfree rail joint is so designated because the joint barJ hasfloading engagement solely with thelie'adl fillet of the railandrl1ead clear'- ance from the underside of the rail head.

With such a .Construtonthe head clearance space between thelhejad'ofthe' harA and thery underside of thehead ofthe' rail usually'increasesin width or depth from the headllet lof the rail outwardly towards'theside'of-thel rail, and therefore, outwardly-of thehead-iillet of therail, the rail head is unsupported and must of .necessitybe`)selfsustalining.V

Alsoyas aforesaidit is common practice, aftervarailby long 'servicehasbecome appreciably 'worn ya-tits end, as indicated at 8 Q'ofthefdrawings, to supplyv a'body of`;wear= compensating 'metalv 9v `tothe head thereo'fjby f v"welding L without" removingt the rraillfroimzfth'e track, 'and `this,vof course, incurs heating' of therailawithconsequent' weaken-v ing: thereof, rendering'V the 'rail' headquite susceptible :of being `mashedY or distorted downwardly ifItrat-lic loads passwth'e'reover before fthe operation of5supplyingfwarcom;Y pensatingf,metalfthereto has been completed, or'l before the railhas cooled: following .such

j Accbrdin'g tothe present"invention,v order tohover'comejthe foregoing'd1sadvan-y tage,- ashimfrl() Lof' metal'gor other suitable material-isprovidedytapering in cross section 'f-roinone side thereof-tov theother, so

as edectively to fillf the'I correspondingly shaped head'cleararicespace-between' the fhead 112 of thej oint #bar *J and' the underside of'the head 14' of thje" rail- R. This. shim is aflapt'edtdbeplaced,insaidspacejalnd to be retained' therein' any` suitable? manner, y

prior to instituting welding of the wear com'.-

vpensating metal Qupon f the rail head, and j to 'bevremovedfollowingrcompletion ,off the 'welding' operation andsl after theV'rail'A has cooled'. Said'shim may 'belformed in a single `lengthapproximatinglthe length yof the joint bar, or itmay beformed two .ormore sepa;A`

'rate,sections,` twlosections for eXample,-one individual to each rail.V

the rail', `all that is necessary` is toV lloesen the usual joint bolts,slidegthejshimendwise betweenfitheliyfjoint bar-and the rail"t`o"thepositi'oijij"v shown? liii the drawings, 'and-1 then I to tighten' the`joint j bolts.` `llVhen the ywelding operation is completed'andlthefrailhas Y cooled, removal of they may readily 'beV effected byagain`loose'niifigI 'thejoint bolt/'s "and sliding theshiin 'fromltweentllijoint d bar and the rail,` after which'tliejointbolts may betightened to restore the joint toits j original *conditionl Inthis"conneetion it will f vbe understood, ofcourse, thatthe'" wear vcom-*Y In'eit'lierevent, to` position the shimbetween'the'joint bar andpensating metall) may-be ground by an emery wheel or otherwise dressedtodesired finished formeitherbefore or after removalv of theshim 10.V Inits applied positionsaid shim serves, asis manifest, as a filler for thespace between the-head of the: joint'fbar *and the ainderside of theheadof the' railgso that i ,duringk all of the time that said shim isoperatlvely. positioned 4loett/eer.1the joint, har

traffic imposed 'loads on the:rail tending to f mashQlV distort .thehead thereof downwardly f are effectively resisted by the jointbarfiThus,

by, plagingesaid shigin-.fhetween .the joint bar and the rail'prior toinstituting the welding. operatill'," and fby allowing said shim veto Aremain!y in such positionuntil `after the rail has" cooledfo'llowing'the welding operation, traf:-V ic loads aref rendered?incapable @of-:mashing o'ri 'otherwise distortingithejrail'whichVisheat-r weakenedduringiandinimediatelyffollowing the-f weldingoperation; i f e f While any:preferredv means-may played muoia the Shimoperatively'- Vpesi-1 soY Serves'effeuveiyte'Held the enne operativelypositioned Vbetween thejointbarfand the'rail sklled'fntheifart, and itwill ojegurse'fbe undrstopdi tnat'changes in the form-prei pfortion,"and"-minrldetails;/ off construction may be" resorted to;without'dep'arting from the" s pjirgiti,of thefinventidn scope ofl theplelddiclams- Y L" ldll':

aff-related ieint bearer- 1d a tongue formation von saidffhimcurvedtofltfbetween'thehead y fillet kof the'irail-i-.andf the; upperrnnercornei- :of ltheffjein-tdearto'retainsaid,shirnin anoperatiyef'pbsition, the y:lower yedge of? saidtonguefteminatinglabovetheliefoflthe:joint l bolts wefeby snimiismserliiible iemand Ai-"emovatble *from-the space-'between the rail `theunderside of therail hdfandjrghgtpgf Y head and the joint bar Withoutremoving thev joint bolts.

2. Means for temporarily supporting the head ofa headfree rail duringreconditioning of the rail head,` comprising a shim shaped to `t and tosubstantially fill the space between the underside of the rail head andthe top of a related joint bar, and means to retain said shim inari-operative position, said m shim being formed for insertion into andremoval from the space between the rail head `and the joint bar Withoutremoving the usual `joint bolts.

- In testimony whereof I hereunto aHX my L5 signature.

GEORGE M. CLODFELTER.

